A laboratory worker at a Siberian institute specialising in plague research fell ill and later died under undisclosed circumstances, prompting authorities to place dozens of people under quarantine, while Russia’s health watchdog chief travelled to the Irkutsk region.
What happened?
Shipilova was employed at an anti-plague research institute in Siberia’s Irkutsk region, with news of her reported death triggering alarm. “Any person with pneumonic plague may transmit the disease via respiratory particles to other humans. Untreated pneumonic plague, if not diagnosed and treated early, can be fatal.
The reports emerged on Friday stating that 28-year-old Darya Shipilova had died from suspected pneumonic plague. However, recovery rates are high if detected and treated in time (within 24 hours of onset of symptoms),” the world health body says.
Irkutsk Regional Governor Igor Kobzev said Monday that a special expert commission inspection in the region had found that “the cause of death was pneumonia of undetermined aetiology”, reported news agency AFP. Kobzev said that “no new cases” of staff from the same institute seeking medical attention have emerged and that the situation remains under their and experts’ control. Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, usually found in small mammals and their fleas and is transmitted between animals through fleas, according to the World Health Organisation.
